For this world premiere release of the soundtrack music from Cervantes, Intrada was given access to the complete session masters vaulted by MGM in perfect condition. The master reels were preserved on ¼" 15 ips full-track tape. We have added a very slight amount of stereo reverb to enhance the listening experience and reduce the "dead mono" effect of the full-track masters. The tapes were otherwise in excellent condition and required only minimal attention to noise or tape hiss.

According to MGM paperwork and recording session logs, the entire sessions were present. However, cue sheets indicate two sequences ("Main Title" and "Battle") that were not present on the master elements. There is some evidence that those two scenes were intended to be tracked with other sequences from the score or with segments remaining from the European score composed by Jean Ledrut but not otherwise used in the U.S. release prints, but there is nothing beyond theory to support this. In any case, our CD represents all of the recorded material by Les Baxter… and does not incorporate any music by Jean Ledrut.

Les Baxter was a master of creating music for exotic, faraway places and events. Listen now to one shining example… the music for Cervantes.